It could be a wild ride for youngsters stuck in the John Adams school renovation roller coaster, as mobile classrooms and even “split shifts” are now options.|
School Superintendent Anita Micich spoke at a Mason City School Board meeting Monday night about what might be done with seventh and eighth graders who attend John Adams Middle School. Adams Middle School will have to be closed for a good part of second semester this school year for a $40-plus million dollar renovation.
Micich spoke about putting students in mobile classrooms (maybe there is room at Gracious Estates for the kids). She also spoke about “split shifts” where all students 7th through 12th grade would go to the High School but some would show up anywhere starting somewhere between 6 AM and 7 AM till noon, and then the other students would show up from noon till 5 PM or 6 PM. “There are schools that have done that around the nation,” Micich said. Another option discussed on other occasions was moving seventh graders to Madison Elementary School and the eighth graders to the high school.
Micich says she has been meeting with a school advisory committee about options for the students while JAMS is under construction this Spring. With so many Mason City school administrators and bureaucrats making over $100,000 per year, you might think these decisions would have been made by now, or would be clearer, but not so. Micich alone makes over $177,000 per year working for Mason City and Clear Lake school districts.
Let’s hope the advisory committee who probably does not get paid comes up with better ideas than what we heard tonight, since our paid “experts” seem to be struggling for good ideas.
Listen to Anita Micich tell the Mason City School Board about ideas for students while JAMS is under construction:
